Organic gardening and farming avoids using pesticides to control pests.
Instead, pests are controlled by a variety of methods and products, such as using certain beneficial organisms and using modern organic farming techniques.
Whether the resulting produce is certified as organic for the marketplace is uncertain because certification is the subject of continuing debate and disagreement.
Beneficial organisms used include: trichogramma (insect egg parasites) to kill corn borers and bollwevils; spiders for killing pests on grain farms; nematodes (soil-dwelling worms) to control arugula-eating flea bettles; ladybugs to kill tree pests; Bacillus thuringiensis (an insecticidal bacteria) to control Colorado potato beetles; entomophagous fungi to treat the coffee broca that eats coffee berries; chickens to eat bugs, including Japanese beetles; and insect predators as tricho gamma wasps and green lace wings.
Among the farming techniques used are: placing traps and covers to keep flea beetles from damaging crops; planting trap crops, as flowers and alfalfa, alongside cash crops and planting flowers in vegetable gardens to attract beneficial insects; planting marigolds to control nematodes; planting basil and tomatoes together because basil repels worms; planting a mixed pattern of rice types in a field rather than one type to control rice blast; using garlic and hot pepper sprays to repel pests; catching by hand and killing flea beetles; using pheromones to confuse fruitworms that feed on cranberries; laying clear plastic over soil to destroy nematodes and other harmful organisms; and pruning branches to limit coffee rust fungus and to kill the eggs of pests.
